EENY674 Striped Mealybug Ferrisia virgata Cockerell (Insecta: Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) 1 Ariane McCorquodale and Amanda Hodges 2 1. This document is EENY674, one of a series of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date February 2017. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.uf.edu. This document is also available on the Featured Creatures website at http://entnemdept.ifas.uf. edu/creatures/. 2. Ariane McCorquodale; and Amanda Hodges, associate Extension scientist; Department of Entomology and Nematology, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or afliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension ofce. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Introduction Te striped mealybug, Ferrisia virgata Cockerell, is a small insect that is a pest of a broad range of plants. It has been unintentionally introduced across the globe through international trade. Mealybugs are sap-feeding insects that tap into the phloem via a piercing, straw-like mouthpart known as a stylet. Severe infestations of mealybugs can be fatal to a plant. Large populations of mealybugs appear as accumulations of white, cottony-looking wax on the plant. Tis wax is produced by special glands and gives the insects the “mealy” appearance from which the name “mealybug” is derived. Synonymy Dactylopius virgatus Pseudococcus marchali Pseudococcus bicaudatus Ferrisia virgata Ferrisiana virgata Ferrisia neovirgata Distribution Ferrisia is a New World genus native to the Americas (Williams and Watson 1988). Te striped mealybug is one of two Ferrisia species to spread to the Old World, and it can now be found in tropical and temperate climates across the globe (Kosztarab 1996, Williams 2004, Williams and Granara de Willink 1992, Williams and Watson 1988). Te striped mealybug has also achieved economic signifcance as a pest of several agricultural crops, including cocoa and cotton (Ameyaw et al. 2014, Kosztarab 1996, Oliveira et al. 2014). Description In 2012, Kaydan and Gullan published a taxonomic review of the genus Ferrisia, and described several new species from specimens that were formerly classifed as Ferrisia virgata. Te authors proposed that Ferrisia virgata is a species complex consisting of several morphologically similar but genetically distinct species. For the purposes of this publication, the striped mealybug common name refers to members of the Ferrisia virgata complex. Te striped mealybug is named for the two dark, dorsal stripes that run longitudinally down its body. Tese stripes are visible on the mealybug cuticle through bare patches in the waxy covering (Figure 1). Length of the adult female body is approximately 2.0–4.5 mm (Kaydan and Gullan Archival copy: for current recommendations see http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu or your local extension office.